Brendan Cole to miss Strictly rehearsals due to illness

Strictly Come Dancing’s Brendan Cole will miss rehearsals this week as he recovers from a chest infection.

The professional dancer and his celebrity partner Anastacia are due to perform a quickstep to Frank Sinatra’s My Kind Of Town this weekend.

(Jay Brooks/BBC)

Strictly dancer Gorka Marquez, who was voted out alongside Tameka Empson in week two, will take his place this week during rehearsals.

Brendan revealed the news to Zoe Ball while appearing on BBC Two spin-off show Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two.

He said: “I’ll let you in on a little secret, we have the lovely Gorka stepping in for me for a few days whilst I try and recover and beat this little chest infection. I don’t know how happy I am about it, he’s Spanish, he’s good looking, and he’s got a body that’s pretty much the best on the show.”

(Guy Levy/BBC)

Following medical advice from his doctor, he has been advised to rest until the end of the week.

Asked by Zoe when he would be well enough to dance again he said: “I’ll see the doctor again. He said take off until Thursday/Friday at least, and then we’ll see.”

American singer Anastacia stressed the routine was still entirely his and that he had done all the choreography.

(Guy Levy/BBC)

She said: “It’s still ‘Team Fab’. Brendan did the choreography, it’s still his whole routine.”

At the weekend Cole revealed he had to make an overnight visit to the hospital just hours before Saturday’s Strictly performance.

#NHS Doc's, Nurses & staff are phenomenal. Thank you for looking after me in the wee hours. Lung infection now under control so thank you 👏